With CC out Kuroda proves to be the Yankees ace

Hiroki Kuroda stepped up big time and might as well have declared himself the Yankees ace while CC Sabathia is on the DL as he took a no-hitter into the 7th inning against the Rangers on his way to a complete game shutout.

It’s just another great start for Kuroda who has ended up being a great signing and probably the Yankees most consistent pitcher this season. He now has a 3.06 ERA on the season to go with a 6.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. The biggest thing has been his 52.5 percent ground ball rate which has helped him hold batters to a .245/.296/.390 line this season.

It was the sixth time Kuroda has held opponents scoreless while throwing at least seven innings this season and it was the 12th time he’s held opponents to two or fewer runs while pitching at least seven innings.

He’s not just keeping the Yankees in games – he’s dominating them. Who said pitchers can’t move from the NL to the AL (the NL West no less)?